


The Spirit of Christmas

by aj_linguistik



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Christmas Date, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Lights, Christmas Presents, F/M, Holding Hands, Kissing, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28575480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_linguistik/pseuds/aj_linguistik
Summary: Eugeo hasn't been in Japan for very long, so he's not too familiar with the concept of Christmas. He's done a bit of research and discovered that Christmas in Japan is a special day for lovers. He wants to know what makes this holiday so special, so he takes Asuna on a Christmas date to try and capture the spirit of the season.
Relationships: Eugeo/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	The Spirit of Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: One of my winter/holiday requests from Tumblr, made for bearandbirdfan. Hello to this poor, underused tag again. We need more Eugeo/Asuna love on AO3!! I'll use this note to go ahead and admit that I have a multi-chapter Eugeo/Asuna in the works to any interested parties; it's gonna be a fluffy romance, so keep your eyes out! For now, enjoy a Christmas date for this adorkable pairing. <3

A strong peppermint fragrance met with the cloud of sweet gingerbread that wafted out of the bakery at the corner of the street. It was a special-edition perfume, only up for sale around the holidays; a special treat for lovers who felt the holiday spirit lifting up their souls. Eugeo had come to learn something about Japan. Christmas wasn’t born here, by any means, but it had come, and it had taken its own unique shape for this culture. It was important for him to know how it went, after all, when his lovely date, meeting him here with that tantalizing scent, was from Japan herself.

Unlike the Underworld, where there was a Winter Solstice that was focused on sharing and gifting to one another, this Christmas in Japan was a romantic holiday, filled with brightly colored outfits, glittering lights displays, and special treats, made both locally and imported from the same countries that invented the holiday elsewhere. As he walked up to Asuna, he noted that she was dressed up in red, a color that Kirito said was special to her and the holiday itself. He smiled and offered her his hand. She took it.

“Merry Christmas, Eugeo-kun,” she said, her voice sounding cheery and light. “Have you thought about how you want to spend your first Christmas in Japan?”

He wrapped his fingers around hers. He’d looked up everything he could, researching the traditional and modern ways to spend this holiday with a lover. The holiday seemed very important for young couples, it seemed, so he wanted to make sure this was an event that Asuna would treasure in her heart. He started off walking into the café they’d met in front of. For this outdoors date, they’d need something warm in their bellies. She kept her eyes up on Eugeo, though, focused on him rather than the menu.

“I’d like to see the lights with you,” he said, smiling at her. “Does that sound nice?”

She wrapped her arm around his and pressed up against his side, humming in a musical tone. She nodded her head up and down, causing her hair to bob from under the knitted cap that was covering up her crown and ears.

“It sounds lovely,” she said.

His smile widened.

“How about something warm to drink as we look at the lights, then?” he offered, pulling her into the line.

She giggled and nodded again.

“I think I’m going to get a gingerbread latte,” she said. “What do you think you’ll get?”

His eyes wandered over to the menu. A lot of the options seemed foreign to him. There were a few seasonal drinks, like Asuna’s selection. There was a snowman-themed milk tea, a cinnamon coffee, and a peppermint mocha. A sugar cookie cappuccino also had its place on the menu. If he selected according to his own taste buds, he’d probably go for either the milk tea or the cappuccino. He decided to be a little daring and match Asuna’s peppermint perfume, though.

“Probably a peppermint mocha,” he said. “You’ve put peppermint on my mind.”

Her cheeks flushed a little red, but she looked rather pleased with herself. He determined that he’d somehow made the correct choice. They stepped up to the cashier, and Eugeo took care of the orders for both of them. He was getting the hang of little things like this. Asuna squeezed his arm while he handled the order; it was her own way of telling him he was doing a decent job. He handed the cashier his card, took his receipt, and stepped off to the side with her to wait for their order.

“You’re getting good at navigating Japan,” she said, her voice only slightly teasing. “In no time, you’ll blend in with all of the locals.”

Asuna reached over to pick up their drinks when they were ready. She handed Eugeo his cup. It was warm to the touch, still quite hot from the brewing process. Asuna latched onto his free arm, and they walked out of the shop, each clutching their warm cups as they headed off to look at the lights downtown.

He took a sip of his drink as they walked. The coffee flavor was still present amongst the chocolate and peppermint, but it wasn’t so strong that Eugeo felt the need to run back for sugar and milk. It was sweet with only a hint of the bitterness he disliked in coffee. Asuna offered him a sip of the gingerbread latte. It, too, was a bit on the sweet side, but unlike the coolness of the peppermint, the gingerbread spices made the drink seem a bit warmer, and his tongue tingled from the flavor.

They discussed for a moment which way they should go. Asuna pulled up a map on her phone and showed him all of the places where light displays were set up throughout the city. She suggested a few that she thought might impress Eugeo the most, and he told her that he trusted her instincts about his taste. Having decided on a route, she grasped onto his hand and assumed the position of leader.

It was clear that Asuna knew the way. She’d told him that she’d spent a few Christmases in Tokyo since coming to the SAO Survivor school, so she was getting rather good at navigating. He was much newer to the city; he’d have to let her be the tour guide for today. She hurried him into an open square and turned around to watch his reaction as they walked into the space. He turned his eyes upwards, trusting that she wouldn’t lead him into any walls or other immovable object, and he took in the full view as they entered the square.

The display was enormous, consisting of thousands of little colored lights. They made huge shapes of trees and gifts, and there were some deer pulling a sled with a jolly-looking man inside of it. The lights flickered on and off, appearing to dance in time with some music that was playing from nearby speakers. Eugeo turned around and looked at the buildings. They, too, were covered with these little lights. He hadn’t imagined them to be so plentiful. There were too many to even try to count.

“So, what do you think?” she asked, laughing. “You look a little overwhelmed.”

He shook his head.

“How long does it take to put these up?” he asked. “It looks difficult.”

Asuna smiled and squeezed his hand gently.

“Oh, it takes hours,” she said. “And many, many people come to help put them up. They make intricate plans and have to follow them exactly in order to make sure everyone puts the lights up in the right place. It takes a special kind of eye to see all of this in three dimensions.”

Eugeo hummed and nodded.

“It all looks so magical,” he said.

In his heart, he wanted to tell her the lights weren’t the only magical thing about this night. When he’d come to Japan, he hadn’t imagined getting to spend a special, romantic holiday with someone like her. The way she smiled up at him while they walked around and took in the lights made the magic of the holiday seem real. He found himself gazing more and more at her instead of the grand displays.

They arrived at the final spot just a few minutes before midnight. Eugeo drew in a deep breath and pulled a small wrapped package out of his coat pocket, handing it over to Asuna with an awkward smile. Her cheeks flushed red as she accepted the gift with both hands. She smiled up at him.

“What’s this?” she asked.

He swallowed.

“I…I heard it was also traditional to give your lover something nice for Christmas,” he stammered. “I hope you like it.”

Asuna’s smile felt a bit warmer now. She thanked him and started to open it very carefully, pulling off the bow with the grace of a swan taking flight. After removing the bow, she opened up the top slowly, careful not to accidentally spill any contents on the ground. She slipped the lid underneath the bottom and daintily pulled aside the crinkled-up tissue paper, taking care not to rip it. When she’d opened it all of the way up, her mouth formed a little ‘o’ and a gasp escaped from her lips.

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, her breath visible in the cold air.

Eugeo reached over to the box.

“May I?” he asked.

Asuna nodded. He reached into the box and removed the necklace. She pulled her hair up away from her neck and let him place the necklace on her, latching it behind her to let it rest against her chest. Her hair fell back down, and she held the charm in her hands. It was a delicate-looking piece of glasswork, a red rose set into a gold backing that attached to the gold chain that graced her neckline. She smiled up at him, her cheeks rosy.

“Thank you,” she said.

She pushed herself up on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss as midnight struck. Eugeo wrapped his arms around her waist, drinking up the lingering taste of gingerbread on her lips. If this was what was meant by holiday spirit and cheer, then he’d look forward to the holidays even more next year.

“Merry Christmas, Asuna,” he whispered.

Humming, she touched her nose to his. It was warm.

“Merry Christmas to you, too, Eugeo-kun,” she said.

They pulled together for another kiss, a pair of tender lovers filled with joy under the glittering lights.


End file.
